a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates broadly to a coupling of the ball and socket type for rigidly connecting together the ends of two pipes ordinarily located in a sub-sea environment. More particularly, the invention has regard to an improved coupling of this type which is capable of rigidly connecting together pipe ends which may be misaligned relative to each other.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art ball and socket type couplings are used to connect misaligned pipe ends in a sub-sea environment where the socket includes jaws for engaging the rearward side of the ball to lock it within the socket. In many cases however, such couplings are flexible to permit universal movement between the pipe ends to accommodate wave action, for example. In other cases, the socket jaws take the form of a snap-ring, making it difficult to assemble the ball and socket together; this being a major shortcoming since working conditions in a sub-sea environment are substantially limited in terms of visibility, maneuverability and so forth. Moreover, other socket jaws cannot assume a retracted position to permit free entry of the ball within the socket, but instead must be separately attached to the socket after it receives the ball; this being a further shortcoming since the jaws are usually heavy and awkward to handle.